Virginia's 86th House of Delegates district
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Virginia's 86th House of Delegates district elects one of 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, the lower house of the state's bicameral legislature. The district was established in 1982 and represents parts of Loudoun and Fairfax County. It was represented by Democrat Ibraheem Samirah until 2021, when Irene Shin won the primary and general elections.
Geography[edit]
The district includes an eastern portion of Loudoun County and a western part of Fairfax County.[1] Loudoun's section includes two precincts, both in Sterling Park, while 13 of the district's precincts are in Fairfax County, including in Herndon, Oak Hill and Chantilly.[1] This area is roughly between Route 50 north, Route 7, and Fairfax County Parkway.[1]
Electoral history[edit]
From 2002 to 2016, the 86th District was represented by Republican Tom Rust. In 2013, he was challenged by Democrat Jennifer Boysko, with Rust narrowly prevailing, winning by just 32 votes.[2] Boysko ran again in the next cycle (2015) and Rust announced he would retire rather than seek reelection.[2] Boysko instead faced Republican Raul “Danny” Vargas and Paul Brubaker, who ran as an independent.[1] Vargas received The Washington Post's endorsement[3] and initially had support from the Latino Victory Fund, but the latter rescinded its support after learning Vargas did not support an Obama Administration immigration policy offering protection from deportation and temporary work permits to some parents of American citizens (DAPA).[4] Boysko, a pro-choice candidate who supported the Medicaid expansion,[1] won the election, receiving 54% of the vote to Vargas's 40%.[5]
The 86th district seat was vacated again when Boysko was elected to the state senate in January 2019.[6] prompting a February 19 special election.[7] Dentist Ibraheem Samirah won the Democratic nomination in a firehouse primary on January 12,[8] and U.S. Air Force veteran Gregg Nelson received the Republican nomination in a mass meeting held January 22.[7] On January 25, former Herndon town council member Connie H. Hutchinson announced her candidacy as an independent, citing her opposition to a bill to lift restriction on abortion as well as concerns about proposals to raise the minimum wage.[9] Samirah won the contest with 59.5% of the vote and was sworn in the next day,[10] becoming the youngest member of the state legislature.[11]
On February 4, 2021, Irene Shin, the executive director of The Virginia Civic Engagement Table, announced that she is running for this seat in the June 8, 2021 Democratic Primary. Shin defeated Samirah in the June 2021 primary and in the November 2, 2021 general election, Republican Julie Perry, with 65.4% of the vote.
District officeholders[edit]
| Years | Delegate | Party | Electoral history |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 12, 1983 – September 30, 1997 |
George Heilig | Democratic | First elected in 1982 Died |
| January 1998 – January 9, 2002 |
Donald L. Williams | Democratic | First elected in 1997 Retired |
| January 9, 2002 – January 13, 2016 |
Tom Rust | Republican | First elected in 2001 Retired |
| January 13, 2016 – January 11, 2019 |
Jennifer Boysko | Democratic | First elected in 2015 Elected State Senator on January 8, 2019 |
| February 20, 2019 – 2022 |
Ibraheem Samirah | Democratic | Elected on February 19, 2019, special election Lost renomination in 2021 |
| January 12, 2022 – present |
Irene Shin | Democratic | First elected in 2021 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Baratko, Trevor (October 8, 2015). "Boysko, Vargas dueling to replace Tom Rust in Va. House's 86th District". Loudoun Times. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Portnoy, Jenna (February 25, 2015). "Herndon delegate announces retirement amid tough reelection bid". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ "For Virginia's House of Delegates, continued". The Washington Post. October 23, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
- ^ Gamboa, Suzanne (September 14, 2015). "Democrat-Founded Latino Group Regrets Hosting Fundraiser for Republican". NBC News. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ "Election brings few changes to Va. legislature; huge shifts to Loudoun Co". WTOP. November 4, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ "Northern Virginia voters pick Democrat Jennifer Boysko as new state senator". Richmond Times-Dispatch. January 8, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Cline, Nathaniel. "Gregg Nelson wins Republican primary to replace Boysko in Virginia House of Delegates". Loudoun Times. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ Cline, Nathaniel (January 12, 2019). "Samirah wins Democratic nomination for 86th House of Delegates District special election". Loudoun Times. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ Woolsey, Angela (February 8, 2019). "Independent candidate enters 86th House District race". Fairfax County Times. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ "Samirah Wins 86th District Seat". Loudoun Now. February 20, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
- ^ Hood, James R. (February 20, 2019). "Samirah sworn in as youngest member of House of Delegates". Fairfax News. Retrieved February 21, 2019.